LARISSA Brincat leads a busy life with college work, scuba diving and learning to speak Gaelic - but still manages to squeeze in the accordion.

And at the National Accordion Championships she squeezed it effectively enough to become Under 17s champion!

The 16-year-old, from Gee Cross, Hyde, has been playing the accordion since her mother gave her one for her 10th birthday.

Before that, her musical experience had been limited to "dabbling" on the piano.

Larissa has competed in the national championships for several years, but this is the first time she won. She took the title in Scarborough, playing "Ice Dance", written by her teacher, Murray Grainger.

Larissa said: "My teacher, who also teaches at Chetham's School of Music in Manchester, wrote the piece after a visit to Iceland during which he slipped on a patch of ice!

Standard

"There are a lot more accordion players around than you would think and the standard of musicianship is quite high. All sorts of music can be played on the instrument, including classical music. I now hope to go on and enter the adult championships next year."

Mum Dorothy added: "The trophy is enormous, she staggered off the stage carrying it. I thought she was going to fall over.

"She's been entertaining us for years and the hard work has paid off."

Larissa is a student at Hyde Clarendon College, where she is studying for her A-levels, and this year she was the only person in England to obtain a GCSE/A in Irish Gaelic.

She is also an advanced scuba diver, doing most of her diving in Malta.

But her ambition is to go into medicine. "I love the accordion but it can only really be something I do on the side," she said.